Dale Earnhardt Jr goes for fourth Phoenix win

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the last race at Phoenix, rain shortened.

No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 41 

Resides Mooresville, North Carolina

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing at Phoenix
“We struggled a little bit last weekend at Vegas, but we’re right there. We’re not too far off, so we’ll get it a little bit better and keep working on it. We’ll go on to Phoenix and see how we do there. Should be a lot of fun. Hopefully we can go back and try to get another win. It was a rain-shortened win last time, but my guys and I were very proud of it because of how the car ran all weekend, which put us in position. If we can unload that fast this weekend, we’ll be in good shape. The racetrack has a great history -- the place has been around for so long and the area has always supported it, so we should get a good crowd and I’m looking forward to it. ”

It's a small sample size thus far for the 2016 package. But I think it'll provide better racing throughout the field all season.
@DaleJr via Twitter
3/6/16, 9:01 p.m.

2016 Season
12th in standings
3 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
2 top-10 finishes
15 laps led

Career
580 starts
26 wins
13 pole positions
144 top-five finishes
248 top-10 finishes
8,149 laps led

Track Career
27 starts
3 wins
0 pole positions
8 top-five finishes
13 top-10 finishes
535 laps led

RECENT WINNER: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Phoenix last November after a rain-shortened event. The wet weather didn’t put a damper on Earnhardt, who led 22 laps en route to his 26th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory and his third at PIR. The 41-year-old driver earned his first two Phoenix wins back to back, going to Victory Lane in November 2003 and November 2004 when the one-mile tri-oval hosted one Cup event per season. By virtue of his three wins, Earnhardt ranks third on the all-time wins list at Phoenix.

AXALTA ‘SOLAR FLARE’ SCHEME: Axalta Coating Systems will make its debut as primary sponsor of Earnhardt and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 team this weekend at Phoenix, marking the first time the new red, orange and yellow “Solar Flare” paint scheme will be featured on the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS. Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, is continuing its longstanding, 24-year partnership with Hendrick Motorsports after a contract extension that expanded its presence and takes one of the longest sponsorships in NASCAR through 2018.

CALL IT A COMEBACK: Earnhardt, a three-time winner at Phoenix, has experienced a resurgence lately at the short track. In his last six races at the facility, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has earned one win, four top-five finishes and five top-10s. The only one of those six events in which he finished outside of the top 10 was when the series visited the short track in March 2015 and a blown right-rear tire ended his day on Lap 180. Earnhardt is ranked 13th among all active competitors with a driver rating of 87.4 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points.

AXALTA’S RACE TO PHOENIX CONTEST: In addition to debuting on the No. 88 Chevrolet SS, Axalta will sponsor the NASCAR XFINITY Series Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. To get fans revved up for race weekend, Axalta has created a social media “Race to Phoenix” contest where fans complete daily "go-do's" for a chance to win prizes. Follow Axalta Racing on Facebook to participate.

- Hendrick Motorsports